" Well…" sighed Simon heading off down the steps. " I'd best head off and
try to apologise to Jesus…for whatever it is I've done now!" He smiled and
turned back to them. " Unless...you want to come with me…"
" We'd love to…but I don't…" started Martin.
" Thanks," smiled Guillaume. " That'd be great!" he said following Simon down the steps. He glanced back at the others. " Well are you coming or not? We lost Jo once already…I'm not losing her again!" his voice was firm and his eyes had regained their sparkle of energy. The friends looked at each other and shrugged before following Guillaume and Simon down the steps.
* * * * * * * *
" Guillaume…er…Guillaume?" Rosie asked quietly as they followed Simon.
" Yes…" he said, his dark eyes never leaving Simon's back.
" You do realise…" she swallowed nervously, not entirely sure how he would react to what she had to say. " …We can't just go charging over to Jo and tell her who we are and who she is…"
" …I know…" Guillaume glanced down at her as they walked.
" I mean…we can't overwhelm her or anything…" she continued, concern ringing in her voice.
" Rosie…" Guillaume smiled, " The last thing I want to do is upset Jo or make her worse…!" His eyes looked into hers and she could almost feel how he felt. A mixture of joy and apprehension shone plainly in his eyes. " I won't even introduce myself to her…" he grinned. " Hopefully seeing us will trigger something in her brain…" his eyes all at once became sadder. " But if not…I realise that there's nothing we can do to make her remember…" he frowned and Rosie touched his arm gently.
" She'll remember…" she smiled sweetly, "…as if she could forget us!" she looked up at his face for a moment, " or…more importantly…how could she forget you…?!" A gentle smile crossed Guillaume's lips.
" Thank you Rosie…" he said quietly, returning his gaze to Simon.
At the front of the group Simon was talking happily to the others as they walked. It has to be said that Jenny, Bertrande and Lucy seemed to spend a lot of the journey staring into his blue eyes, much to the annoyance of Amos, Mark and Martin! Phillipe walked alone, Marius keeping a watchful eye on him, not saying a word. Ever since the night in the barn when he had run out on them after shouting at The Man, Marius and the others had noticed a change in Phillipe. After his declaration of love to Jo on their last night together, his attitude seemed to have changed completely. It was almost as if all he wanted to do was prove Guillaume wrong at every possible opportunity. It was true that Guillaume had been the cause of Jo's dangerous exit from Artigat but the friends knew he had never intended for anything to go as far as it did, and that he only did it out of his love for her. Marius sighed as they continued along the path. Jo certainly had had an eventful time of late.
They rounded a bend in the path and the friends could see a garden ahead of them. People wandering back and forth, smiling and talking to each other. Simon's face broke into a large smile.
" Here we are…"he said almost breathlessly. The friends looked around them; their mouths open in awe. Over on one side of the garden, in the shade of a tree, sat Jesus. Mary was sat nearby and around him sat four or five young men listening intently as he spoke to them. Guillaume scoured the garden for Jo, his eyes quickly spotted Judas. He was sat across the garden from Jesus, watching intently as he spoke to those gathered at his feet. Judas' face was not wearing the same expression as the rest of those in the garden. Instead of a smile, his face wore a frown. While the eyes of the others shone with joy and happiness, his looked on the verge of tears. Guillaume frowned, he couldn't see Jo anywhere. Then Judas leant back against a tree and Guillaume could see that sat next to him was Jo. Guillaume's frown melted away to be replaced by eyes all at once bright with tears. He rubbed at them quickly before turning back to the others.
" She's over there…" he said throatily, trying to swallow the lump that had suddenly risen in his throat. " She's sat with Judas…" the others looked over and relief crossed their faces.
" You know Jochebed…?" Simon frowned, glanced at her and then at the friends.
" Er…well…" started Rosie.
" No," Guillaume said definitely. " We thought we did…she…she looks like someone we used to know…that's all…" he spoke in an ever increasingly trembling voice. The others glanced at each other, confused expressions on all their faces.
" …Yeah…" mumbled Lucy, a frown building on her brow.
" Oh right…" sighed Simon, not sounding totally convinced, " That's a shame…if you'd have known her you might have been able to tell us all who 'Guillaume' is…!" Simon shrugged.
" Guillaume?!" gasped Jenny.
" How…I mean…why do you want to know?" frowned Guillaume. Simon looked at him,
" It's probably nothing…" he said, a thoughtful look crossing his youthful face. "…But she called Judas that when he found her and she kept saying it in her sleep…" Simon turned and started to walk towards Jesus. He glanced back over his shoulder at them, " Whoever he is…" Simon's voice almost echoed in the garden, " …he must have been important to her…his name was all she could remember!" He smiled and continued over to Jesus. Guillaume sank to his knees on the ground, followed by the rest of the friends.
" Why didn't you tell him who you are?!" Martin's voice was full of confusion.
" What would it achieve…?" Guillaume muttered, in a voice that was hardly more than a whisper.
" But…Jo…I mean…" Bertrande frowned.
" She doesn't know me…" mumbled Guillaume, " She's looked at me and I can see in her eyes…she has no idea who I am…"
" You can't be serious…" Mark gasped, " Surely you're not going to just leave it…!" Guillaume looked up at them, a single tear falling from one of his brown eyes.
" I don't want to…but I don't see what choice I have…"
" I don't believe I'm hearing this!" Phillipe said suddenly. Guillaume turned to him, a familiar scowl appearing on his face.
" And I'd want your opinion because…?!" Guillaume spat. Phillipe rolled his pale eyes.
" This isn't about us anymore!" he said sharply. " All that matters is Jo. She has a right to know who she is and where she's come from!" Guillaume frowned, another tear leaking from his eye. " And it's you who has to tell her!" Phillipe continued. " It's your name that she remembered…not me…not Rosie…not Lucy…You!" Guillaume's dark eyes looked up into the pale ones of the police inspector.
" But…" he started and blinked in surprise as he saw Phillipe smile and offer his hand.
" Come…let us be friends…" Guillaume extended his hand to Phillipe and relieved smiles covered the faces of the friends surrounding them.
" So…" Lucy sighed, " Just how are we going to do this? You can't just walk over to her and say 'Hi, remember me, I'm Guillaume!' Who knows what effect it would have!" A silence fell on the group as they tried to think.
" How about…no…." mumbled Mark.
" We could…I mean…never mind…" started Jenny.
" I know!" Rosie leapt to her feet.
" What?!" came the unanimous response from the others.
" We'd love to…but I don't…" started Martin.
" Thanks," smiled Guillaume. " That'd be great!" he said following Simon down the steps. He glanced back at the others. " Well are you coming or not? We lost Jo once already…I'm not losing her again!" his voice was firm and his eyes had regained their sparkle of energy. The friends looked at each other and shrugged before following Guillaume and Simon down the steps.
* * * * * * * *
" Guillaume…er…Guillaume?" Rosie asked quietly as they followed Simon.
" Yes…" he said, his dark eyes never leaving Simon's back.
" You do realise…" she swallowed nervously, not entirely sure how he would react to what she had to say. " …We can't just go charging over to Jo and tell her who we are and who she is…"
" …I know…" Guillaume glanced down at her as they walked.
" I mean…we can't overwhelm her or anything…" she continued, concern ringing in her voice.
" Rosie…" Guillaume smiled, " The last thing I want to do is upset Jo or make her worse…!" His eyes looked into hers and she could almost feel how he felt. A mixture of joy and apprehension shone plainly in his eyes. " I won't even introduce myself to her…" he grinned. " Hopefully seeing us will trigger something in her brain…" his eyes all at once became sadder. " But if not…I realise that there's nothing we can do to make her remember…" he frowned and Rosie touched his arm gently.
" She'll remember…" she smiled sweetly, "…as if she could forget us!" she looked up at his face for a moment, " or…more importantly…how could she forget you…?!" A gentle smile crossed Guillaume's lips.
" Thank you Rosie…" he said quietly, returning his gaze to Simon.
At the front of the group Simon was talking happily to the others as they walked. It has to be said that Jenny, Bertrande and Lucy seemed to spend a lot of the journey staring into his blue eyes, much to the annoyance of Amos, Mark and Martin! Phillipe walked alone, Marius keeping a watchful eye on him, not saying a word. Ever since the night in the barn when he had run out on them after shouting at The Man, Marius and the others had noticed a change in Phillipe. After his declaration of love to Jo on their last night together, his attitude seemed to have changed completely. It was almost as if all he wanted to do was prove Guillaume wrong at every possible opportunity. It was true that Guillaume had been the cause of Jo's dangerous exit from Artigat but the friends knew he had never intended for anything to go as far as it did, and that he only did it out of his love for her. Marius sighed as they continued along the path. Jo certainly had had an eventful time of late.
They rounded a bend in the path and the friends could see a garden ahead of them. People wandering back and forth, smiling and talking to each other. Simon's face broke into a large smile.
" Here we are…"he said almost breathlessly. The friends looked around them; their mouths open in awe. Over on one side of the garden, in the shade of a tree, sat Jesus. Mary was sat nearby and around him sat four or five young men listening intently as he spoke to them. Guillaume scoured the garden for Jo, his eyes quickly spotted Judas. He was sat across the garden from Jesus, watching intently as he spoke to those gathered at his feet. Judas' face was not wearing the same expression as the rest of those in the garden. Instead of a smile, his face wore a frown. While the eyes of the others shone with joy and happiness, his looked on the verge of tears. Guillaume frowned, he couldn't see Jo anywhere. Then Judas leant back against a tree and Guillaume could see that sat next to him was Jo. Guillaume's frown melted away to be replaced by eyes all at once bright with tears. He rubbed at them quickly before turning back to the others.
" She's over there…" he said throatily, trying to swallow the lump that had suddenly risen in his throat. " She's sat with Judas…" the others looked over and relief crossed their faces.
" You know Jochebed…?" Simon frowned, glanced at her and then at the friends.
" Er…well…" started Rosie.
" No," Guillaume said definitely. " We thought we did…she…she looks like someone we used to know…that's all…" he spoke in an ever increasingly trembling voice. The others glanced at each other, confused expressions on all their faces.
" …Yeah…" mumbled Lucy, a frown building on her brow.
" Oh right…" sighed Simon, not sounding totally convinced, " That's a shame…if you'd have known her you might have been able to tell us all who 'Guillaume' is…!" Simon shrugged.
" Guillaume?!" gasped Jenny.
" How…I mean…why do you want to know?" frowned Guillaume. Simon looked at him,
" It's probably nothing…" he said, a thoughtful look crossing his youthful face. "…But she called Judas that when he found her and she kept saying it in her sleep…" Simon turned and started to walk towards Jesus. He glanced back over his shoulder at them, " Whoever he is…" Simon's voice almost echoed in the garden, " …he must have been important to her…his name was all she could remember!" He smiled and continued over to Jesus. Guillaume sank to his knees on the ground, followed by the rest of the friends.
" Why didn't you tell him who you are?!" Martin's voice was full of confusion.
" What would it achieve…?" Guillaume muttered, in a voice that was hardly more than a whisper.
" But…Jo…I mean…" Bertrande frowned.
" She doesn't know me…" mumbled Guillaume, " She's looked at me and I can see in her eyes…she has no idea who I am…"
" You can't be serious…" Mark gasped, " Surely you're not going to just leave it…!" Guillaume looked up at them, a single tear falling from one of his brown eyes.
" I don't want to…but I don't see what choice I have…"
" I don't believe I'm hearing this!" Phillipe said suddenly. Guillaume turned to him, a familiar scowl appearing on his face.
" And I'd want your opinion because…?!" Guillaume spat. Phillipe rolled his pale eyes.
" This isn't about us anymore!" he said sharply. " All that matters is Jo. She has a right to know who she is and where she's come from!" Guillaume frowned, another tear leaking from his eye. " And it's you who has to tell her!" Phillipe continued. " It's your name that she remembered…not me…not Rosie…not Lucy…You!" Guillaume's dark eyes looked up into the pale ones of the police inspector.
" But…" he started and blinked in surprise as he saw Phillipe smile and offer his hand.
" Come…let us be friends…" Guillaume extended his hand to Phillipe and relieved smiles covered the faces of the friends surrounding them.
" So…" Lucy sighed, " Just how are we going to do this? You can't just walk over to her and say 'Hi, remember me, I'm Guillaume!' Who knows what effect it would have!" A silence fell on the group as they tried to think.
" How about…no…." mumbled Mark.
" We could…I mean…never mind…" started Jenny.
" I know!" Rosie leapt to her feet.
" What?!" came the unanimous response from the others.